Sanitary Code (PDF) - Erie County

SANITARY CODE
OF
ERIE COUNTY
ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
BUFFALO, NEW YORK

THE SANITARY CODE OF THE ERIE COUNTY HEALTH DISTRICT
ADOPTED MAY 7, 1948 - EFFECTIVE JUNE 15, 1948
By the
ERIE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL PROVISIONS
ARTICLE II
COMMUNICABLE DISEASE
(Deleted July 2000)
ARTICLE III
MILK, CREAM AND MILK PRODUCTS
(Deleted July 2000)
ARTICLE IV
GENERAL SANITATION
ARTICLE IV-A
SEWER USE REGULATIONS
(Transferred to County Dept. of Environmental Quality Codes)
ARTICLE IV-B
REGULATION OF INDIVIDUAL SEWAGE DISPOSAL SYSTEMS
ARTICLE V
WATER SUPPLIES
(Deleted July 2000)
ARTICLE VI
SWIMMING POOLS AND BATHING BEACHES
(Deleted August 1993)
ARTICLE VI
CAMPS
(Deleted July 2000)

ARTICLE VII
CAMPS
(Deleted July 2000)
ARTICLE VIII
OFFENSIVE MATERIAL
(Deleted July 2000)
ARTICLE IX
HOUSING HYGIENE AND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE
ARTICLE X
MEDICAL SERVICES
ARTICLE XI
SANITARY CONTROL OF DAY NURSERIES, DAY CARE CENTERS AND
BOARDING HOMES FOR CHILDREN
(Deleted 1976)
ARTICLE XII
RADIOLOGICAL HEALTH
(Deleted July 2000)
ARTICLE XIII
FOOD HYGIENE
(Deleted July 2000)
ARTICLE XIV
CODE FOR ERIE COUNTY AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
(Transferred to County Dept. of Environmental Quality Codes)
ARTICLE XV
VALIDITY
ARTICLE XVI
EFFECTIVE DATE OF SANITARY CODE
ARTICLE XVII
COIN-OPERATED DRY CLEANING MACHINE INSTALLATIONS
ARTICLE XVIII
CONTROL OF ANIMAL BITES
(Deleted July 2000)

ARTICLE XIX
PEST CONTROL
(Deleted July 2000)
ARTICLE XX
FUMIGATION AND EXTERMINATION
(Deleted July 2000)
ARTICLE XXI
SMOKING IN PUBLIC PLACES
(Deleted July 2000)
ARTICLE XXII
REGULATIONS OF TATTOO ARTISTS AND ESTABLISHMENTS

INTRODUCTORY NOTE
Section 347, Title III of the Public Health Law of the State of New York, being
Chapter 879 of the Laws of 1953 as amended, provides as follows:
6. Upon the establishment of a board of health for a county or part-county health district
as provided in this article, it shall exercise all the powers and perform all duties of
local boards of health as provided in this chapter, and such board of health may
formulate, promulgate, adopt and publish rules, regulations, orders and direction
for the security of life and health in the health district which shall not be
inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter and the Sanitary Code. Such
rules, regulations, orders and directions shall be known as the Sanitary Code of
such Health District.
a. Every rule, regulation, order and direction adopted by a board of health
shall state the date on which it takes effect, and a copy thereof signed by
the county Health Commissioner or his deputy shall be filed as a public
record in the department, in the county or part-county Department of
Health and in the office of the County Clerk and shall be published in such
manner as the Board of Health may from time to time determine.
b. The county Health Commissioner or his deputy shall furnish certified
copies of the Sanitary Code of the health district and its amendments for a
fee of one dollar.
c. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to restrict the power of any
city or any village to adopt and enforce additional ordinances or enforce
existing ordinances relating to health and sanitation provided that such
ordinances are not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter or the
Sanitary Code.

ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS AND GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 1:
Title
The rules and regulations herein contained shall be known as the Sanitary Code
of the Erie County Health District.
Section 2:
Definitions.
When used herein, unless otherwise expressly stated:
(a)
“Health District” shall mean the Erie County Health District established pursuant
to the provision of Section 340 of the Public Health Law.
(b)
“Department of Health” shall mean the Board of Health of the Erie County Health
District.
(c)
“Board of Health” shall mean the Board of Health of the Erie County Health
District.
(d)
“Commissioner of Health” shall mean the Commissioner of Health of the Erie
County Department of Health or his duly authorized representative.
(e)
“Sanitary Code” shall mean and comprise the rules and regulations now or
hereafter formulated, promulgated and adopted by the Board of Health of the
Erie County Health District pursuant to Section 347 of the Public Health Law of
the State of New York and Section 504 of the Charter of Erie County.
(f)
“State Sanitary Code” shall mean the sanitary code established by the Public
Health Council of the State of New York.

(g)
A “person” shall mean an individual, firm, corporation, association, municipality,
public service district or public benefit corporation.
Section 3:
Sanitary Code. Where in Force.
The provisions of the sanitary code shall be in force throughout the Erie
County Health District.
Section 4:
Enforcement by Local Boards of Health.
It shall be the duty of the Commissioner of Health and of each local health
officer in the Erie County Health District, existing pursuant to law, to enforce any
and every regulation of the sanitary code.
Section 5:
Sanitary Code. Enforcement. Civil and Criminal. Penalties. Hearings;
Procedures.
(a)
Pursuant to the provisions of the Public Health Law and the Charter of
Erie County, the Commissioner of Health may:
(1) issue subpoenas which shall be regulated by the civil practice law and
rules;
(2) compel the attendance of witnesses;
(3) administer oaths to witnesses and compel them to testify;
(4) issue warrants to any peace officer of the county or a municipality
within the county to apprehend and remove any person or persons
as cannot otherwise be subjected to his orders and regulations,

and to the Sheriff of Erie County to bring to his aid the power of the
County whenever it shall be necessary to do so; and
(5) prescribe and impose penalties for the violation of or failure to comply with
any of his orders or regulations, or any of the regulations of the State
Sanitary Code or any order made pursuant to such codes or to law after
holding a hearing thereon. Such penalties shall not exceed five hundred
dollars for a single violation or failure, to be sued for and recovered by the
said Commissioner in any court of competent jurisdiction. Each day on
which such violation or failure continues shall constitute a separate
offense. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to exempt an
offender from any other persecution or penalty provided by law.
(b)
No subpoena shall be served outside the jurisdiction of the Erie County Health
District, and no witness shall be interrogated or compelled to testify upon matters
not related to public health.
(c)
Every warrant issued by the Commissioner of Health shall be forthwith executed by
the officer to whom directed, who shall have the same powers and be subject to
the same duties in the execution thereof, as if it had been duly executed out of a
court of record of the State.
(d)
Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to alter or repeal any existing
provisions of law declaring such violations or any of them misdemeanors or
felonies or prescribing a penalty therefore.
(e)
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 348 of the Public Health Law:

(i)
the provisions of the Sanitary Code of the Erie County Health District shall
have the force and effect of law; and
(ii)
any non-compliance or non-conformance with any provision of such
Sanitary Code or of a rule or regulation duly made thereunder shall
constitute a violation punishable by a fine of not more than two hundred fifty
dollars or by imprisonment for not more than fifteen days or both such fine
and imprisonment.
(f)
Complaints: Hearing
In case of failure by conference conciliation and persuasion, to correct or remedy
any violation of the Sanitary Code or of any rule or regulation adopted thereunder,
the Commissioner of Health may cause to have issued and served upon the
person complained against a written notice, together with a copy of the complaint
made by him or a copy of the complaint made to him, which shall specify the
provisions of the code, rule or regulation of which such person is said to be in
violation, and a statement of the manner in which said person is said to violate it
shall require the person so complained against to answer the charges of such
complaint at a public hearing before the Commissioner at a time not less than 10
days after the date of notice.
(g)
Complaints; Conduct of Hearing
(i)
The respondent to such complaint may file a written answer thereto and
may appear at such hearing in person or by representative, with or without
counsel and may submit testimony, or may do both.

(ii) The Commissioner of Health at the request of any respondent to a
complaint made pursuant to this article shall subpoena and compel the
attendance of such witnesses as the respondent may reasonably designate
and the said Commissioner shall require the production for examination of
any book or paper relating to the matter under investigation at any such
hearing.
(iii)
The testimony at the hearing may be under oath and recorded steno
graphically.
(h)
Order of Determination
After due consideration of the written and oral statements, the testimony and
arguments that shall be submitted under the provisions of Subsection (g) above, or
default in appearance of the respondent on the return day which shall be specified
on the notice given in Subsection (f) above, the Commissioner of Health may issue
and enter such final order, or make such final determination as he shall deem
appropriate under the circumstances, and he shall notify the respondent thereof in
writing by certified mail.
(i)
Review
Any final order or determination or other final action by the Commissioner of Health
and the validity or reasonableness of any code, rule or regulation of the Board of
Health shall be subject to review as provided in Article Seventy-eight of the Civil
Practice Law and Rules.

Section 6:
Interference with Notices.
No person shall remove, mutilate or conceal any notice or placard of the
Commissioner of Health posted in or on any premises or public place except
by permission of the Commissioner or any authorized representative thereof.
Section 7:
Special Provisions
The regulations of this Code shall be supplemental to the regulations, rules
and orders of the State Sanitary Code, Public Health Law, Penal Law, and
other New York State Laws relating to public health and shall, as to matters to
which it refers, and in the territory prescribed therefore by law, supersede all local
ordinances heretofore, or hereafter enacted inconsistent therewith.
Section 8:
Inspection Generally.
(a)
All premises covered by the regulations of this Sanitary Code, whether
located in the County Health District or elsewhere, shall be subject to inspection
by the Commissioner of Health and if any violation of the Sanitary Code exists on
the premises, any permit granted by the Commissioner of Health may be
suspended forthwith.
(b)
No person, firm or corporation shall refuse to allow the Commissioner of Health to
fully inspect any and all premises and no person, firm or corporation shall molest or
resist the Commissioner of Health in the discharge of his duties.

Section 9:
Permits Generally.
(a)
All applications for permits or written approval herein required shall be made upon
forms prescribed and furnished by the State Commissioner of Health, or the
Commissioner of Health and shall be signed by the applicant who shall be the
person, firm or corporation or authorized agent thereof, responsible for
conformance to the conditions of the permit or approval applied for. Such
application shall contain such data and information and be accompanied by such
plans as may be required. A permit issued to a particular person, firm or
corporation or for a designated place, purpose or vehicle shall not be valid for use
by any other person, firm or corporation or for any other place, purpose or vehicles
than that designated herein. Such permits or written approvals may contain
general and specific conditions and every person, firm or corporation which shall
have obtained a permit or written approval as herein required shall conform to the
conditions prescribed in said permit or written approval and to the provisions of the
Sanitary Code. Every such permit shall expire as stated on the permit and may be
renewed by the Commissioner of Health, suspended for cause by the said
Commissioner, or revoked by the said Commissioner after due notice and hearing.
(b)
No permit required by this Code may be issued unless and until proof has been
submitted by the applicant for such permit that the use for which such permit is
issued will not violate any zoning or other landuse regulation of any city, town or
village, or of Erie County, or of any regional or other land use regulatory body
having jurisdiction.

(c)
The restrictions imposed by Subsection (b) of this section may be waived when the
use for which a permit is to be issued is shown to be a part of a specific plan for
environmental improvement, such plan having been duly adopted by the Erie
County Legislature.
Passed and Effective 7/18/72.
(d) Nothing herein shall prevent the Commissioner of Health, after reasonable collection
efforts have been attempted, from revoking or suspending any permit that was
previously issued by the Commissioner if the permit holder or operator owes any
fines legally imposed by the Commissioner for violations of this Code, the New York
State Public Health Law, the New York State Sanitary Code or any local law that the
Erie County Health Department is required to enforce. The Commissioner of Health
shall use due diligence to notify the permit holder of an impending revocation or
suspension prior to executing an order for such action. Such notice shall be
delivered to the operator, either by personal service or by certified mail, at least 14
days prior to executing an order for such suspension or revocation.
(e)
Nothing herein shall prevent the Commissioner of Health, from revoking or
suspending, for a period of time not to exceed Thirty (30) days, any permit that was
previously issued by the Commissioner, for three (3) or more violations in a twentyfour
(24) month period of the provisions of the New York State Public Health Law,
this Code or any local law that the Erie County Health Department is required to
enforce or earlier legal Orders of the Commissioner.
Passed and effective December 8, 2006.

Section 10: Issuance of Licenses.
Nothing herein contained shall be construed to restrict or abrogate the
authority of any city or any village in the Health District to adopt and enforce additional
ordinances or to enforce existing ordinances relating to the regulations, control and/or
issuance of any license and/or renewal and/or revocation thereof, and to charge and
collect a fee therefore, provided however, that whenever inspection as to health and
sanitation is required, no such city or such village shall issue or renew such license
without first having obtained approval from the Commissioner of Health of the
compliance with the rules and regulations now or hereafter formulated, promulgated
and adopted by the Board of Health pursuant to the provisions of Section 347 of the
Public Health Law.

ARTICLE IV
GENERAL SANITATION
Section 1.
Privies Generally, Definition.
(a)
“Privy” shall mean any facility or structure provided for the storage or structure
provided for the storage or deposit of human excreta without water carriage.
(b)
No person shall permit the existence on any property, place, or premises of any
privy, the use of which is abandoned or no longer necessary for the occupancy of
the property or which is improperly maintained so as to exposed the contents
thereof. Where a public sanitary sewer, a municipal or private water supply is
available and accessible, the Commissioner of Health may issue an order,
effective within not less than thirty (30) days, upon the owner of any property
whereon a privy is located requiring said owner to abandon the use of and to
remove said privy.
(c)
No privy shall be constructed under or within any building or structure intended or
used for human occupancy.
(d)
All privies shall be properly enclosed and screened, ventilated, lighted, kept in
repair and shall be maintained at all times in a clean and sanitary condition.
(e) 1. No privy shall be within one hundred (100) feet of any place where food is
prepared or served.
2. No privy shall be within fifty (50) feet of any lake, reservoir or stream.
3. No privy shall be located in the direct line of drainage to not less than one
Hundred (100) feet in a horizontal direction from any water supply, intake

pipe, well, or spring used as a source of water supply.
4. Privies, one hundred (100) feet to two hundred (200) feet from the source
of a water supply shall be provided with water-tight vaults or receptacles,
the contents of which shall be removed and disposed of in a sanitary
manner.
Section 2.
Exposure of Sewage.
(a)
No person either as owner, lessee, or tenant of any property, dwelling, building or
place, shall construct or maintain and/or operate any privy, cesspool, sewage
disposal system, pipe or drain so as to expose or discharge the sewage contents
or other offensive material or matter there from to the atmosphere, or on the
surface of the ground, nor so as to endanger any source of supply of drinking
water, nor as to discharge into a water course or body of water unless a permit
for such discharge shall have been issued therefore by the appropriate State
officer or his duly authorized designee and such discharge shall be made in
accordance with the requirements thereof.
(b)
No facilities for the private disposal of sewage shall be constructed under or
within any building or structure and no building or structure shall be erected on
an area within which private sewage disposal facilities are in use unless special
permission has been obtained therefore from the Department of Health.
(c)
No person shall permit the disposal of any substance into any plumbing line,
sewer, privy, or separate sewage disposal system other than that which said
facility is designed or is intended to receive.

(d)
Transferred to County Department of Environmental Quality Codes.
Section 3.
Sewer Connections Required.
(transferred to County Department of Environmental Quality Codes).
Section 4.
Temporary Toilet Facilities on Construction.
Any person employing men on the construction of any highway, building or
structure, shall provide or cause to be provided a temporary privy or privies or
other satisfactory toilet facilities at a convenient place upon the premises, or
readily accessible thereto and the same shall be properly enclosed and the
contents thereof shall be completely covered with clean inert material or
otherwise effectively treated or removed immediately at the end of each shift or
working day.
Section 5.
Cleanliness of Public Toilets.
Any person who provides a toilet for the use of employees, patrons or
members or available to the public, shall maintain such toilet at all times in a
clean, well lighted, ventilated and sanitary condition. The floor of any such toilet
under and adjacent to a urinal fixture shall be impervious to moisture and
properly drained. No towel, hairbrush or comb, shall be provided for common
use in any such toilet or in a washroom, rest room or locker room adjacent
thereto. The term “common use” shall mean use by more than one person
without effective disinfection. The owner of a building or dwelling, or his agent in

charge thereof, wherein two or more tenants shall have common use of a toilet or
privy, shall be responsible for the maintenance of such toilet or privy in repair and
in a clean and sanitary condition. Facilities for washing and drying hands shall
always be available, including soap dispensed in a sanitary manner.
Section 6. Permit Required for Sewage Disposal System; Permit Fee.
(a)
No person either as owner, the agent thereof, or lessee or tenant, shall
undertake to construct or provide a system or facilities for the separate disposal
of waterborne sewage, domestic or trade wastes to serve any building, dwelling,
school, institution, or premises in or from which such wastes may be discharged,
unless such construction conforms to standards approved by the Commissioner
of Health provided that such approval shall not be required when a permit
therefore has been issued by the State Commissioner of Health.
(b)
No permit required by subsection (a) of this section shall be issued until and
unless the applicant shall have paid to the Commissioner of Health a permit fee
of Forty ($40) Dollars.
To be effective 30 (30) days after passage on 7/18/72.
Section 7.
Definitions. The following definitions shall apply to Sections 8, 9 and 10 of
this Article.
(a)
The term “synthetic detergent” or “detergent” means any cleaning compound
which is available for household use, laundry use, other personal uses or
industrial use, which is composed of organic and inorganic compounds, including

soaps, water softeners, surface active agents, dispersing agents, foaming
agents, buffering agents, builders fillers, dyes, enzymes, fabric softeners and/or
other additives, whether in the form of crystals, powders, flakes, liquids, sprays,
or any other form.
(b)
The term “machine dishwasher” means equipment manufactured for the purpose
of cleaning dishes, glassware and other utensils involved in food preparation,
consumption or use, using a combination of water agitation and high
temperatures.
(c)
The terms “dairy equipment”, “beverage equipment”, and “ food processing
equipment” mean that equipment used in the production of milk and dairy
products, foods and beverages, including the processing, preparation or
packaging thereof for consumption.
(d)
The term “industrial cleaning equipment” means machinery and other tools used
in cleaning processes during the course of industrial manufacturing, production
and assembly.
Section 8.
(a)
No person shall sell, offer or expose for sale, give or furnish for re-sale or use in
Erie County any synthetic detergent or detergent containing more than eight and
seven-tenth percent (8.7%) of the phosphorous by weight, expressed as
elemental phosphorous, within the County of Erie Health District from and after
May 11, 1971.
(b)
No person shall sell, offer or expose for sale, give or furnish for re-sale or use in
Erie County any synthetic detergent or detergent containing any phosphorous,

expressed as elemental phosphorous, within the County of Erie Health District
after January 1, 1972.
Section 9.
The concentration by weight of phosphorous in any detergent shall be
determined by the method prescribed from time to time by the American Society
for Testing and Materials.
Section 10. Not withstanding the foregoing, synthetic detergents of detergents
manufactured for use in machine dishwashers, dairy equipment, beverage
equipment, food processing equipment and industrial cleaning equipment shall
not be subject to the limitations prescribed in Sections 8 and 9.
Section 11. Water & Sewage Service for Multiunit Complexes
(Transferred to County Dept. of Environmental Quality Codes).
Section 12. Transfer of Title to Property; Certification by Commissioner of
Health;Certification Fee.
(a)
No person shall transfer to any other person, nor accept from any other person,
the transfer of the title to any structure or parcel of land on which a structure is
located, provided such structure is to be used for human occupancy, unless and
until the Commissioner of Health shall have examined the water supply and
sewage disposal system serving such structure and issued a certificate that the
water supply conforms to the standards of Article V of this code and applicable

standards of the State Commissioner of Health, and that the sewage disposal
system is in conformity with Section 2 of this Article. The operation of this
section shall not be applicable to the following: transfers in a foreclosure action;
transfers without consideration and other than in connection with a sale, including
transfers conveying realty as bona fide gifts; transfers in connection with a
partition; transfers pursuant to the Federal Bankruptcy Act; transfers for which
the consideration is $100 or less.
(b)
No such certification of the water supply need be applied for or made if the water
supply serving the structure is an approved public water supply as defined in
Article V of this Code. No such certification of the sewage disposal system need
be applied for or made if the sewage originating in the structure discharged only
to a public sewer owned and operated by a public sewer or other special service
district.
(c)
The Commissioner of Health may waive the requirement of certification as a
prerequisite to transfer of title as herein before specified provided that the
prospective purchaser shall have filed with the said Commissioner a written
guarantee to correct any deficiencies of the water supply or sewage disposal
system within a period of time to be specified by the said Commissioner, and
shall have posted a bond of One Thousand ($1,000.00) Dollars which bond shall
be forfeit if needed corrections of the water supply and sewage disposal systems
are not completed within the time specified in the written guarantee.
(d)
No certification as specified in subsection (a) of this section, nor no waiver as
specified in subsection (c) of this section shall be issued until and unless

there have been paid to the Commissioner of Health a certification fee.*
(e)
The Commissioner of Health may grant an exception from any requirement
of this rule, on such terms as may be just, when in his discretion the enforcement
of any such requirement will
(i) cause undue financial or other hardship due to the imminent
construction of public sewage facilities, or
(ii) result in any other extreme hardship, provided that no such exception
shall be granted if a serious health hazard exists or will occur as a
result of the granting of any such exception.
Section 13. (Reserved).
Section 14. Use of Septic Tanks in Subdivisions
(a)
Definition. When used in this section, the term realty subdivision shall have the
meaning ascribed to it in Section 115 of the New York State Public Health Law,
and Section 17-1501 of the New York State Environmental Conservation Law.
(b)
The Commissioner of Health may approve realty subdivision submitted after the
effective date of this section if:
(1) The subdivision will be served by adequate public sanitary sewers prior to
the occupancy of any residential unit within the subdivision; or
(2) The subdivision will contain forty-nine or less lots, is within a sewer district,
the Commissioner finds that adequate public sanitary sewers will be
*See Article I, Section 11 for current Fee Schedule

available and accessible within five years of the date of the application,
and all necessary state and federal approvals have been obtained for said
public sanitary sewers; or
(3) The subdivision is outside a sewer district, will contain forty-nine or less
lots, the percolation rate for the soil in the subdivision is at least one inch
in sixty minutes, and adequate public sanitary sewers are not available
and accessible.

ARTICLE IV-A
SEWER USE REGULATIONS
(Transferred to County Dept. of Environmental Quality Codes)

ARTICLE IV-B
REGULATION OF INDIVIDUAL SEWAGE DISPOSAL SYSTEMS
Passed December 19, 1973
Section 1. Definitions
(a)
When used in this Article the term” individual sewerage system” means a system
or piping, tanks or other facilities disposing of sewage or other liquid wastes into
the soil.
(b)
When used in this Article the term “dwelling unit” shall mean dwelling unit as
defined in Section 21.7, Title 10 of the New York State Codes, Rules and
Regulations.
Section 2.
No person, firm or corporation shall construct or place an individual
sewerage system on any premises or part thereof except as permitted by
the Commissioner of Health. The Commissioner of Health shall regulate
and control the construction of individual sewerage systems in permissible
locations in Erie County. The Commissioner shall establish and publish
construction specifications and performance standards for individual sewerage
systems. Such specifications and standards for individual sewerage systems.
Such specifications and standards shall not be less restrictive than the minimum
specifications and standards set out in the Manual of Septic Tank Practice of the
United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and applicable
rules and regulations of the New York State Department of Health, and New
York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The Commissioner may

establish separate classes of construction specifications and performance
standards for individual sewerage systems for different types of realty
developments and land uses. These may include, but need not be limited to,
separate classifications for single family dwellings, multiple dwellings,
commercial or industrial uses, realty subdivisions, and for systems within cities or
villages.
Section 3.
No person, firm or corporation shall construct or place on any premises
any individual sewerage system, or part of such system in any of the following
locations.
(a)
within the limits of any sewer district in Erie County where public sanitary
sewer collections lines and municipal or private water supply are available and
accessible;
(b)
within 200 feet of any reservoir or ground water aquifer for a public water
supply, or within 100 feet of any other body of water, or within such
greater distance of a reservoir or body of water as the Commissioner
determines is required to protect the quality of the reservoir or body of water in
accordance with water quality standards set by the New York State Department
of Health or Environmental Conservation.
Section 4.
The Commissioner of Health may permit the construction of individual
sewerage systems in permissible locations in Erie County subject to the
following limitations:

(a)
Within cities or villages
Systems to serve buildings or structures within the corporation limits of a city or
village may be permitted by the Commissioner if:
(1) the governing body of the affected city or village, or the mayor’s
delegate, approves construction of the proposed individual sewerage
system; and
(2) the site and soil conditions are adequate to permit the proposed systems
to satisfy performance standards established by the Commissioner for
individual sewerage systems within cities or villages.
(b)
Outside cities or villages, but within a sewer district.
Systems to serve buildings or structures which are located outside a city or
village, but which are within a sewer district, may be permitted by the
Commissioner if:
(1) the Commissioner finds that public sanitary sewers will be available and
accessible to the buildings or structures within ten (10) years of the date of
the application and all necessary state and federal approvals have been
obtained for such sewers; and
(2) the site is adequate to meet the construction specifications and satisfy the
performance standards established by the Commissioner for systems to
serve the type of development proposed for the site.
(c)
Outside cities or villages and not within a sewer district, or in a location not to be
served by public sanitary sewers. Systems to serve buildings or structures which
are not within a sewer district, or which are in a location which the Commissioner

finds will not be served by public sanitary sewers within ten (10) years of the date
of application, may be permitted by the Commissioner if:
(1) the site is adequate to meet the construction specifications and
performance standards established by the Commissioner for systems to
serve the type of development proposed for the site; and
(2) in cases where a conventional septic tank system is permitted, the site will
provide adequate unimproved space to allow construction of a complete
replacement system in the event the first system fails; and
(3) in cases where a septic tank and tile field in fill is permitted, the site
provides a minimum of (20,000 square feet) ¾ acre for each dwelling unit.
Section 5.
No permit issued under this Article shall be deemed to authorize any
action prohibited by or under the New York Public Health Law or New York
Environmental Conservation Law.
Section 6.
Enforcement
(a)
Inspection – Any individual sewerage system located in the County of Erie shall
be subject to inspection by the Commissioner of Health.
(b)
If the Commissioner of Health determines that an individual sewerage system is
not in conformity with Section 2, Article IV, the person, firm or corporation that
owns, maintains, or operates the individual sewerage system shall immediately
correct such system.If the Commissioner of Health determines that the continued
use and operation of any individual sewerage system results in or contributes to

a public health hazard or nuisance, he may order the immediate cessation of any
use of the individual sewerage system.
(c)
The construction, maintenance or operation of an individual sewerage system in
violation of the provisions of the Erie County Sanitary Code shall be subject to
penalties, both civil and criminal, in accordance with provisions of the Erie
County Sanitary Code. Any construction, maintenance or use in a twenty-four
(24) hour period shall constitute a separate, independent violation.
(d)
Nothing contained in this Section shall be construed to alter or repeal any existing
provisions of law or provisions of the Erie County Sanitary Code in regard to the
provision of penalties to or enforcement of a violation of the Erie County Sanitary
Code, Article IV-A.
Section 7.
This Article shall become effective immediately upon adoption by the
Board of Health of Erie County.

ARTICLE IX
HOUSING HYGIENE AND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE
Section
GENERAL PROVISIONS
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Purposes
1.3 Title
1.4 Application and scope
1.5 Dwelling unfit for human habitation
1.6 Inspection and enforcement
1.7 Definitions
RESPONSIBILITY OF OWNERS AND OCCUPANTS
1.8 Occupancy and letting
1.9 Owner to maintain in clean and sanitary condition
1.10 Occupant to maintain in clean and sanitary condition
1.11 Occupant to dispose of rubbish
1.12 Occupant to dispose of garbage
1.13 Containers to be provided for rubbish and garbage
1.14 Responsibility for extermination
1.15 Rodent control
1.16 Occupant’s responsibility as to supplied fixtures and facilities
1.17 Owners to maintain property free of standing water

1.18 Nuisances
MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR BASIC EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES
1.19 Basic equipment and facilities required for dwelling or dwelling unit occupied or
let for living, sleeping, cooking or eating
MINIMUM STANDARD FOR LIGHT AND VENTILATION
1.20 Light and ventilation required for rooming house, rooming unit, bed and
breakfast dwelling or dwelling unit occupied or let for living purposes
MINIMUM THERMAL STANDARDS (HEATING AND COOLING)
1.21 Thermal requirements for occupying or letting, for living purposes
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO SAFE AND SANITARY PROPERTY
MAINTENANCE
1.22 Maintenance and installation requirements for dwelling, dwelling unit, rooming
house, rooming unit, bed and breakfast occupied or let for living purposes
1.23 Discontinuance of services, facilities, equipment or utilities
MAXIMUM DENSITY, MINIMUM SPACE, USE AND LOCATION REQUIREMENTS
1.24 Specifications of requirements

ROOMING HOUSES AND BED AND BREAKFASTS
1.25 General
1.26 Permit
1.27 Requirements for toilet room, water closet, lavatory and bathtub or shower in a
rooming house and bed and breakfast.
1.28 Cooking and dining
1.29 Locks for doors
1.30 Bed linen and towels
1.31 Floor space for sleeping rooms
1.32 Egress

GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section
1.1 Introduction. There exist and may in the future exist, within the County of Erie,
structures, equipment, exterior property, premises, dwellings, dwelling units, rooming
houses, rooming units, bed and breakfasts or parts thereof, which by reason of their
structure, equipment, sanitation, maintenance, use, or occupancy affect or are likely
to affect adversely the public health (including the physical, mental and social wellbeing
of persons and families), safety, and general welfare. To correct and prevent
the existence of such adverse conditions, and to achieve and maintain such levels of
residential environmental quality as will protect and promote public health, safety,
and general welfare, the establishment and enforcement of minimum housing,
hygiene and property maintenance standards are required.
1.2 Purposes. It is hereby declared that the purpose of this Article is to protect,
preserve, and promote the physical and mental health and social well-being of the
people, to minimize the incidence of communicable diseases, to regulate privately
and publicly owned structures, equipment, exterior property, premises, dwellings,
dwelling units, bed and breakfasts, rooming units, or parts thereof for the purpose of
maintaining adequate sanitation and public health, and to protect the safety of the
people and to promote the general welfare by regulations which shall be applicable
to all structures, equipment, exterior property, premises, bed and breakfasts,
dwellings, dwelling units, rooming units, or parts thereof now in existence or
hereafter constructed. It is hereby further declared that the purpose of this Article is
to insure that the quality of housing and other properties is adequate for protection of
public health, safety and standards for basic equipment and facilities for healthful
living, such as adequate water, waste disposal, bathroom facilities, light, ventilation,

heating and cooling, for safety from fire and accidents, and for an adequate level of
maintenance, setting forth the responsibilities of owners, operators and occupants of
dwellings; and establishing the necessary provisions for administration and
enforcement.
1.3 Title. This article shall be known and may be cited as the Erie County Sanitary
Code Article IX.
1.4 Application and scope.
(a) Application. The requirements of this Article shall:
(1) When adopted by the appropriate local authority, apply within Erie County.
(2) Apply to all structures, equipment, exterior property, premises, rooming
houses, bed and breakfasts, dwellings, dwelling units, rooming units, or parts
thereof within the jurisdiction of Erie County, except those regulated under
Parts 7 and 15 of the New York State Sanitary Code.
(b) Erie County Commissioner of Health may direct enforcement. Notwithstanding
the limits of application and administration set forth in the preceding subdivision,
the Erie County Commissioner of Health may enforce the requirements of this
Article in any area where a danger or hazard to the public health shall or is likely
to exist because of housing, hygiene and/or property maintenance conditions.
(c) Construction. It is intended that the application of the provisions of this Article be
consistent with the provisions of applicable State and local laws, codes, rules and
regulations; provided, however, that where the provisions of this Article are more
restrictive, they shall govern, and where the provisions of such applicable State
or local laws, codes, rules and regulations are more restrictive, they shall govern.

(d) Variance. The Erie County Commissioner of Health may, on written application
and after review, grant a variance from a specific provision of this Article in a
specific case subject to appropriate conditions where such variance is in
harmony with the general purpose and intent of this Article, and where there are
practical difficulties or unnecessary hardship in carrying out the strict letter of its
provision.
(e) Separability. If any provisions of this Article are held invalid, such invalidity shall
not affect other provisions which shall be given effect without the invalid
provisions.
1.5 Dwelling unfit for human habitation. Whenever the Erie County Board of Health
or Erie County Commissioner of Health finds that any structure, equipment, exterior
property, premises, rooming house, bed and breakfast, dwelling, dwelling unit,
rooming unit constitutes a serious hazard to the health and/or safety of the occupant
or to the public because it is dilapidated, unsanitary, vermin-infested or lacking in the
facilities required by this Article, he/she may designate such dwelling unfit for human
habitation, order the dwelling vacated, and may cause to be posted on the main
entrance of any dwelling so closed, a placard with the following words: “Use of this
building for human habitation is prohibited and unlawful.” If the owner fails to comply
with an order issued by the Erie County Board of Health or Erie County
Commissioner of Health, such board of health or Commissioner of Health may order
such dwelling to be removed or demolished as provided for by applicable County law
and laws and regulations of the town, village or city having jurisdiction. The
provisions of this section are applicable also to unoccupied dwellings and the
owners thereof shall be chargeable with compliance.

1.6 Inspection and enforcement.
(a) Inspection.
(1) The Erie County Commissioner of Health and any person authorized by
him/her to do so, may without fee or hindrance, make inspections to
determine the condition of structures, equipment, exterior property, premises,
rooming houses, bed and breakfasts, dwellings, dwelling units, rooming units,
or parts thereof and the premises on which they are located, in order to fulfill
the purposes of this Article.
(2) For the purpose of making such inspections, the inspector is hereby
authorized to enter, examine and survey all structures, equipment, exterior
property, premises, rooming houses, bed and breakfast, dwellings, dwelling
units, rooming units, or parts thereof. Except for emergencies, or where
authorized by other law, or for the convenience of the occupant or owner,
such inspections shall be made between the hours of 7 am and 9 pm.
(3) The owner, the operator and the occupant shall give the inspector free access
to the structures, equipment, exterior property, premises, rooming houses,
bed and breakfast, dwellings, dwelling units, rooming units, or parts thereof
for the purpose of such an inspection.
(b) Enforcement.
(1) Evidence of a violation of this Article discovered during such inspection shall
not be used against the violator in either a criminal or civil proceeding except
under the following conditions:

(i) Written notice of said violation shall be left with or mailed to the person
responsible for correction of such violation or in the alternative such notice
shall be posted in a conspicuous place upon the structures, equipment,
exterior property, premises, rooming house, bed and breakfast, dwellings,
dwelling units, rooming units, or parts thereof where the violation is
discovered.
(ii) Said written notice states a specific and reasonable time within which such
violation shall be eliminated; and
(iii) At the end of such time the violation has not been eliminated.
(2) Noncompliance or nonconformance; penalties. Noncompliance or
nonconformance with any provision of this Article constitutes a violation
punishable on conviction pursuant to the provisions of Article I of the Erie
County Sanitary Code.
1.7 Definitions.
(a) ACCESSORY STRUCTURE shall mean a structure not more than three stories
high with separate means of egress, a building, the use of which is incidental to
that of the main building and which is located on the same lot.
(b) APPROVED shall mean approved by the Erie County Commissioner of Health.
(c) BED AND BREAKFAST shall mean an owner occupied residence resulting from
a conversion of a one-family dwelling, used for providing overnight
accommodations and a morning meal to not more than ten (10) transient lodgers,
and containing not more than five bedrooms for such lodgers.
(d) CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEM shall mean a single system supplying heat to
one or more dwelling unit(s) or more than one rooming unit(s).

(e) CONDITION CONDUCIVE TO LEAD POISONING shall exist when at least one
of the following conditions exists:
(1) most dwellings in a designated area were constructed before 1960.
(2) more than 20 percent of the dwellings in a designated area are dilapidated or
deteriorating.
(3) lead hazards or children with elevated blood lead levels have been previously
identified in the same building or the same area.
(4) paint or other similar surface-coating material containing lead in a condition
accessible for ingestion or inhalation or where peeling or chipping of the paint
or other similar surface-coating material occurs or is likely to occur;
(5) other environmental conditions which may result in significant lead exposure.
(f) DWELLING shall mean any building or structure that contain one or more
dwelling unit(s), rooming units, or bed and breakfast units used, intended, or
designed to be built, used, rented, leased, let or hired out to be occupied, or that
are occupied for living purposes.
(g) DWELLING UNIT shall mean a single unit providing complete independent living
facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living,
sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation.
(h) EGRESS, MEANS OF shall mean a continuous and unobstructed path of vertical
and horizontal egress travel from any point in a building or structure to a public
way. A means of egress consists of three separate and distinct parts: the exit
access, the exit and the exit discharge.

(i) EXIT ACCESS shall mean that portion of a means of egress system that leads
from any occupied point in a building or structure to an exit.
(j) EXIT shall mean that portion of a means of egress system which is separated
from other interior spaces of a building or structure by fire-resistance-rated
construction and opening protectives as required to provide a protected path of
egress travel between exit access and the exit discharge. Exits include exterior
exit doors at ground level, exit enclosures, exit passageways, exterior exit stairs,
exterior exit ramps and horizontal exits.
(k) EXIT DISCHARGE shall mean that portion of a means of egress system
between the termination of an exit and the public way.
(l) EXIT, HORIZONTAL shall mean a path of egress travel from one building to an
area in another building on approximately the same level, or a path of egress
travel through or around a wall or partition to an area on approximately the same
level in the same building, which affords safety from fire and smoke from the area
of incidence and areas communicating therewith.
(m)EXTERIOR PROPERTY shall mean the open space on the premises and on
adjoining property under the control of owners or operators of such premises.
(n) EXTERMINATION shall mean the control and elimination of insects, rodents, or
other pests by eliminating their harborage places, by removing or making
inaccessible materials that may serve as their food, by application of pesticide(s),

trapping or by another recognized and legal pest elimination methods approved
by the local or State authority having such administrative authority.
(o) FAMILY shall mean one adult person plus one or more persons who are legally
related to said person and residing in the same dwelling unit with said person.
(p) ERIE COUNTY COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH shall mean the Health
Commissioner of Erie County or his/her duly authorized representative
(q) GARBAGE shall mean the animal and vegetable waste resulting from the
handling, preparation, cooking, serving and consumption of food.
(r) GUEST shall mean any person who shares a dwelling unit in a nonpermanent
status for not more than 30 days.
(s) HABITABLE SPACE shall mean a space in a structure for living, sleeping,
eating or cooking. Bathrooms, toilet rooms, closets, halls, storage or utility
spaces, and similar areas are not considered habitable spaces.
(t) HEATED WATER shall mean water supplied to a fixture at a temperature of not
less than 120°F.
(u) HOUSEHOLD shall mean a family and/or one or more unrelated persons, who
share the same dwelling and use some or all of its cooking and eating facilities.
It shall include servants and not more than two boarders.

(v) INDIVIDUAL SEWERAGE SYSTEM shall mean a system or piping, tanks or
other facilities disposing of sewage or other liquid wastes into the soil.
(w) INFESTATION shall mean the presence within or contiguous to a structure or
premises of insects, rats, vermin or other pests.
(x) KITCHEN shall mean any room used primarily for cooking or preparation of food
and containing any or all of the following equipment; sink and/or other device for
dishwashing, stove or other device for cooking, refrigerator or other device for
cool storage of food. Where a room is used for cooking and preparation of food,
but not primarily so used, kitchen shall mean that portion of such room which
contains the above equipment and an area within three feet of such equipment.
(y) LEAD SAFE WORK PRACTICES shall mean the method by which all lead
hazard control activities are performed. This includes, but is not limited to,
implementing those dust control and clean-up methods discussed in the EPA
Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule. These methods include, but are not
limited to:
(1) Removing or covering all objects in the work area.
(2) Closing and covering all forced air HVAC ducts in the work area.
(3) Closing all windows in the work area.
(4) Closing and sealing all doors in the work area. Doors within the work area
that must be used while the job is being performed must be covered with
plastic sheeting or other impermeable material in a manner that allows
workers to pass through, while confining dust and debris to the work area.

(5) Covering the floor surface, including installed carpet, with taped-down plastic
sheeting in the work area.
(6) All personnel, tools, and other items, including the exterior of containers of
waste, must be free of dust and debris when leaving the work area.
(z) LET FOR OCCUPANCY OR LET shall mean to permit, provide or offer
possession or occupancy of a dwelling, dwelling unit, rooming house, rooming
unit, bed and breakfast, building, premise or structure by a person who is or is
not the legal owner of record thereof, pursuant to a written or unwritten lease,
agreement or license, or pursuant to a recorded or unrecorded agreement of
contract for the sale of land.
(aa) MEANING OF CERTAIN WORDS. Whenever the words “Dwelling”, “dwelling
unit”, “bed and breakfast”, “rooming house”, “rooming unit”, “premises”,
“structure” are used in this Article, they shall be construed as though they were
followed by the words “or any part thereof.” Words used in the singular include
the plural, and the plural the singular, the masculine gender includes the feminine
and the feminine the masculine.
(bb) MULTIPLE DWELLING shall mean any dwelling containing more than two
dwelling units or more than four roomers.
(cc) NOXIOUS WEED(S) shall mean any living stage, such as seeds and
reproductive parts, of any parasitic or other plant of a kind, which is of foreign
origin, is new to or not widely prevalent in the United States, and can directly or
indirectly injure crops, other useful plants, livestock, or poultry or other interests

of agriculture, including irrigation, or navigation, or the fish or wildlife resources of
the United States or the public health.
(dd) NUISANCE (a.k.a. PUBLIC NUISANCE, PUBLIC HEALTH NUISANCE) shall
mean whatever is dangerous to human life or detrimental to health.
(ee) OCCUPANCY shall mean the purpose for which a building or portion thereof is
utilized or occupied.
(ff)
OCCUPANT shall mean any individual living or sleeping in a building, or having
possession of a space within a building; except that in dwelling units a guest will
not be considered an occupant.
(gg) OPERATOR shall mean any person who has charge, care or control of a
structure or premises which is let or offered for occupancy.
(hh) OWNER shall mean any person, agent, operator, firm or corporation having legal
or equitable interest in the property; or recorded in the official records of the
state, County or municipality as holding title to the property; or otherwise having
control of the property, including the guardian of the estate of any such person,
and the executor or administrator of the estate of such person if ordered to take
possession of real property by a court.
(ii) PERSON shall mean an individual, heirs, executors, administrators or assigns,
and also includes firm, partnership or corporation, its or their successors or
assigns, or the agent of any of the aforesaid.

(jj) PLUMBING shall mean and include all of the following supplied facilities and
equipment; gas pipes, gas burning equipment, water pipes, garbage disposal
units, waste pipes, water closets, toilet rooms, sinks, installed dishwashers,
lavatories, bathtubs, shower baths, installed clothes washing machines, catch
basins, drains, vents and any other similar supplied fixtures, together with all
connections to water, sewer, or gas lines.
(kk) PRIVACY shall mean the ability of a person or persons to carry out an activity
without interruption or interference, either by sight or sound, by persons outside
of the household.
(ll) PREMISES shall mean a lot, plot or parcel of land, an easement or public way,
including any structure thereon.
(mm)PUBLIC WAY shall mean a street, alley or other parcel of land open to the
outside air leading to a street, that has been deeded, dedicated or otherwise
permanently appropriated to the public for public use and which has a clear width
and height of not less than 10 feet.
(nn) RODENT HARBORAGE shall mean any place where rodents can live, nest, hide
or seek shelter.
(oo) RAT PROOFING shall mean a form of construction which will prevent the ingress
or egress of rats to or from a given space or building, or gaining access to food,
water or harborage. It consists of the closing and keeping closed of every
opening in foundations, basements, cellars, exterior and interior walls, ground or

first floors, roofs, sidewalk gratings, sidewalk openings and other places that may
be reached and entered by rat climbing, burrowing or other methods, by the use
of materials impervious to rat gnawing or by other methods approved by the Erie
County Commissioner of Health.
(pp) REFUSE shall mean all putrescible and nonputrescible solids (except body
wastes) including garbage, rubbish, ashes and dead animals.
(qq) REFUSE CONTAINER shall mean a watertight container that is constructed of
metal, or other durable material impervious to rodents, that is capable of being
serviced without creating unsanitary conditions, or such other containers
approved by the Erie County Commissioner of Health. Openings into the
container such as covers and doors shall be tight fitting.
(rr) ROOMING UNIT shall mean any room or group of rooms forming a single
habitable unit occupied or intended to be occupied or living and sleeping, but not
for cooking or eating purposes.
(ss) ROOMING HOUSE shall mean a building, other than a hotel or motel, arranged
or occupied for lodging in rooming units, with or without meals, for compensation
and not occupied as a one - or two-family dwelling.
(tt)
RUBBISH shall mean combustible and non combustible waste materials, except
garbage; the term shall include the residue from burning wood, coal, coke and
other combustible materials, paper rags, cartons, boxes, wood, excelsior, rubber,

mineral matter, glass, crockery, and dust and other similar materials; this term
shall also include discarded, abandoned or stored refrigerators.
(uu) SAFETY shall mean the condition of being reasonably free from danger and
hazards which may cause accidents or disease.
(vv) SEWERAGE SYSTEM shall mean pipe lines or conduits, pumping stations and
force mains, and all other constructions, devices and appliances appurtenant
thereto, used for conducting sewage, industrial waste or other wastes to a point
of ultimate disposal.
(ww) STRUCTURE shall mean that which is built or constructed or a portion thereof.
(xx) SUPPLIED shall mean paid for, furnished, provided by, or under the control of
the owner or operator.
(yy) TENANT shall mean a person, corporation, partnership or group, whether or not
the legal owner of record, occupying a building or portion thereof as a unit.
(zz) TOILET ROOM shall mean a room containing a water closet or urinal but not a
bathtub or shower.
(aaa)WASTE shall mean the discharge from any fixture, appliance, area or
appurtenance that does not contain fecal matter.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF OWNERS AND OCCUPANTS
1.8 Occupancy and letting. No owner or other person shall occupy or let to another
person occupy any vacant structure, rooming house, rooming unit, bed and
breakfast unit, dwelling or dwelling unit unless it and the premises are clean,
sanitary, fit for human occupancy, and comply with the requirements of this Article
and all applicable laws.
1.9 Owner to maintain in a clean and sanitary condition. Every owner of a rooming
house, bed and breakfast or a dwelling containing two or more dwelling units shall
maintain in a clean and sanitary condition the shared or public areas of the rooming
house, bed and breakfast or dwelling and premises thereof. Owner shall secure
vacant buildings and/or structures by boarding, blocking, locking or otherwise
protecting to prevent entry by unauthorized individuals.
1.10 Occupant to maintain in a clean and sanitary condition. Every occupant of a
premises, structure, rooming unit, dwelling or dwelling unit shall maintain in a clean
and sanitary condition those parts of the rooming house, rooming unit, bed and
breakfast, dwelling, dwelling unit and premises thereof that he occupies and
controls.
1.11 Occupant to dispose of rubbish. Every occupant of a structure, building, bed and
breakfast, rooming house, rooming unit, dwelling or dwelling unit shall store and
dispose of all his rubbish in a clean, sanitary and safe manner.

1.12 Occupant to dispose of garbage. Every occupant of a structure, building, bed and
breakfast, rooming house, rooming unit, dwelling or dwelling unit shall dispose of
and store all his garbage or any other organic waste which might provide food for
insects, rodents or any other pest, in a clean, sanitary and safe manner. Garbage
shall not be allowed to accumulate. Rodent-proof, insect-proof, watertight refuse
containers shall be used for storage pending collection. The lid of the refuse
container shall be on the container at all times, including when at curb pending
collection.
1.13 Refuse Containers to be provided for rubbish and garbage. Every owner of a
premises, structure, building, rooming house, bed and breakfast, or dwelling shall
supply adequate facilities or refuse containers for the sanitary and safe storage
and/or disposal of rubbish and garbage, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the
lessee. Such containers shall be in proper working condition, undamaged and
rodent-proof. The maintenance and upkeep of the container shall be the owners
and/or occupants responsibility.
1.14 Responsibility for extermination. Every occupant of a dwelling containing a single
dwelling unit shall be responsible for the extermination of any insects, rodents, or
other pests therein or on the premises. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of
this section, whenever infestation is caused by failure of the owner to maintain a
dwelling in a rat-proof or reasonable insect-proof condition, extermination shall be
the responsibility of the owner. Whenever infestation exists in the rooming house,
bed and breakfast, or two or more of the dwelling units in any dwelling, or in the
shared or public parts of any rooming house, bed and breakfast or dwelling

containing two or more dwelling units, extermination thereof shall be the
responsibility of the owner.
1.15 Rodent control
(a) Every owner and/or occupant of a premises, structure, building, bed and
breakfast, rooming house, rooming unit, dwelling or dwelling unit shall store and
dispose of accumulated rubbish, boxes, lumber, scrap metal, or any other
materials in such a manner as to prevent rodent harborage in or about any
premises, structure, building, bed and breakfast, rooming house, rooming unit,
dwelling or dwelling unit. Materials shall be stacked neatly in piles elevated to a
level high enough to permit effective cleaning.
(b) All structures and exterior property shall be kept free from rodent harborage and
infestation. Where rodents are found, they shall be promptly exterminated by
approved processes which will not be injurious to human health. After
extermination, proper precautions shall be taken to eliminate rodent harborage
and prevent reinfestation.
(c) Every owner or occupant of a dwelling or dwelling unit shall not store, place, or
allow to accumulate any materials that may serve as food or harborage for
rodents in a site accessible to rodents.
(d) No person shall feed in the open any domestic or wild fowl, birds or animals other
than in a suitable container and in such a manner so as to prevent scattering of
food upon the ground or ground level which can or will provide food for rodents,
insects, vermin or other pests. If an area is deemed infested with rodents,

insects, vermin or other pests by the Erie County Commissioner of Health, all
bird feeding shall be ceased until the area is no longer deemed infested with
rodents, insects, vermin or other pests.
(e) If an area is deemed infested with rodents, insects, vermin or other pests by the
Erie County Commissioner of Health, all such premises and immediate exterior
property shall be maintained free from weeds or plant growth in excess of 10
inches, so as to prevent rodent harborage. Weeds shall be defined as all
grasses, annual plants and vegetation, other than trees or shrubs provided;
however this term shall not include cultivated flowers or gardens.
(f) Property Demolition. If a structure is scheduled for demolition, proper
extermination should be performed prior to the demolition of the structure. The
structure must be inspected post extermination and be deemed rodent free by
the Erie County Commissioner of Health or his/her designee prior to the
demolition.
1.16 Occupant’s responsibility as to supplied fixtures and facilities. Every occupant
of a dwelling unit or rooming unit shall keep all supplied fixtures and facilities therein
in a clean, sanitary and operable condition and shall be responsible for the exercise
of reasonable care in the proper use and operation thereof.
1.17 Owner to maintain property free of standing water, Every owner of any premises,
structure, building or dwelling shall keep the premises graded and maintained to
prevent the accumulation of standing water, or within any structure, such as
swimming pools, ornamental ponds or similar located thereon.

(a) Any structure designed to hold water, such as a swimming pool, ornamental
pond or similar must be designed, constructed, operated and maintained to
prevent the breeding of insects.
1.18 Nuisances. All complaints regarding what is dangerous to human life or detrimental
to health shall be received and investigated. The Erie County Commissioner of
Health or his/her designee may enter upon or within any place or premises where
nuisances or conditions dangerous to life and health or which are the cause of
nuisances existing elsewhere are known or believed to exist.
MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR BASIC EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES
1.19 Basic equipment and facilities required for dwelling or dwelling unit occupied
or let for living, sleeping, cooking or eating. No person shall occupy as owner,
occupant or let to another for occupancy any dwelling or dwelling unit, rooming
house, rooming unit, bed and breakfast, for the purposes of living, sleeping, cooking
or eating therein, which does not comply with the following requirements:
(a) Kitchen requirements. Every dwelling unit shall have a room or portion of a
room in which food may be prepared and/or cooked and which room shall have
adequate floor area available for occupant use and be equipped with the
following.
(1) A kitchen sink in good working condition and properly connected to a
water supply system which is approved by the Erie County Commissioner

of Health and which provides at all times an adequate amount of heated
and unheated running water under pressure, and which is connected to a
sewerage system or individual sewerage system approved by the Erie
County Commissioner of Health.
(b) Water closet requirements. Within every dwelling unit there shall be a nonhabitable
room which affords privacy to a person within said room and which is
equipped with a flush water closet in good working condition. Said flush water
closet shall be connected to a water system that at all times provides an
adequate amount of running water under pressure to cause the water closet to
be operated properly and shall be connected to a sewerage system or
individual sewerage system which is approved by the Erie County
Commissioner of Health.
(c)
Lavatory sink requirements. Within every dwelling unit there shall be a room
which affords privacy to a person within said room which is equipped with a
lavatory sink. Said lavatory sink may be in the same room as the flush water
closet or in another room; provided that, if located in a room other than the one
containing the flush water closet, the water closet shall be located in close
proximity to the door leading directly into the room in which said lavatory sink is
located. The lavatory sink shall be in good working condition and properly
connected to a water supply system which is approved by the Erie County
Commissioner of Health and which provides at all times an adequate amount of
heated and unheated, running water under pressure, and which is connected to
a sewerage system or individual sewerage system approved by the Erie County
Commissioner of Health.

(d)
Bathtub or shower requirements. Within every dwelling unit there shall be a
room which affords privacy to a person within said room and which is equipped
with a bathtub or shower in good working condition. Said bathtub or shower
may be in the same room as the flush water closet or in another room and shall
be properly connected to a water supply system which is approved by the Erie
County Commissioner of Health and which provides at all times an adequate
amount of heated and unheated running water under pressure, and which is
connected to a sewerage system or individual sewerage system approved by
the Erie County Commissioner of Health.
(e)
Smoke Alarms. Single- and multiple-station smoke alarms shall be installed in
the following locations:
(1) In each sleeping room or rooming unit
(2) Outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the
bedrooms or rooming units.
(3) On each additional story of the dwelling, including basements and cellars
but not including crawl spaces and uninhabitable attics.
All smoke alarms shall be listed and installed in accordance with
manufacturer’s specifications and any applicable laws or codes. Maintenance
of power source shall be the property owner’s responsibility. Required smoke
alarms shall not be removed or disabled, except for replacement, service or
repair purposes.

MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR LIGHT AND VENTILATION
1.20 Light and ventilation required for rooming house, rooming unit, bed and
breakfast, dwelling or dwelling unit occupied or let for living purposes. No
person shall occupy as owner, occupant or let to another for occupancy any rooming
house, rooming unit, bed and breakfast, dwelling or dwelling unit, for the purpose of
living therein, which does not comply with the following requirements:
(a) Light and Ventilation.
(1) Light.
(i) Every habitable space shall have at least one window facing directly to
the outdoors or to a court.
(ii) Every public hall and stairway in a rooming house or multiple dwelling
shall be adequately lighted by natural or electric light at all times. Every
public hall and stairway in structures containing not more than two
dwelling units shall be supplied with conveniently located light switches
controlling an adequate lighting system which may be turned on when
needed, instead of full-time lighting.
(iii) All other spaces shall be provided with natural or artificial light sufficient
to permit the maintenance of sanitary conditions, and the safe
occupancy of the space and utilization of the appliances, equipment and
fixtures.
(2) Ventilation
(i) Every habitable space shall have at least one openable window.
(ii) Screening. During that portion of the year when there is a need for
protection against mosquitoes, flies and other flying insects, every

window opening directly from a rooming unit, bed and breakfast unit,
or dwelling unit to outside space shall have supplied properly fitting
screens.
(b) Electric facilities. Every occupied building shall be provided with an electrical
system. All equipment, wiring and appliances shall be properly installed and
maintained in a safe and approved manner.
(1) Receptacles. Every habitable space in a rooming house, bed and breakfast
unit, or dwelling shall contain at least two separate and remote receptacle
outlets. Every laundry area shall contain at least one grounded-type
receptacle or a receptacle with a ground fault circuit interrupter. Every
lavatory or bathroom shall contain at least one receptacle. Any new
bathroom receptacle outlet shall have ground fault circuit interrupter
protection.
(2) Every water closet compartment, toilet room, bathroom, laundry room,
furnace room, boiler room and public hall shall contain at least one ceiling or
wall type electric lighting fixture.
MINIMUM THERMAL STANDARDS (HEATING AND COOLING)
1.21 Thermal requirements for occupying or letting, for living purposes. No person
shall occupy as owner, occupant or let to another for occupancy any rooming house,
rooming unit, bed and breakfast, dwelling or dwelling unit, for the purpose of living
therein, which does not comply with the following requirements:

(a) Heating Facilities. Every rooming house, bed and breakfast, or dwelling shall
have heating facilities which are properly installed, and are maintained in safe
and good working condition, and are capable of safely and adequately heating all
habitable spaces, bathrooms, toilet rooms and water closet compartments in
every dwelling unit to maintain 68 degrees Fahrenheit as noted in (b) below.
(b) Minimum temperature. The owner is responsible for furnishing the heat unless
the rental agreement provides otherwise. Between September 15 th and May 31 st ,
where the owner furnishes the heat, the temperature shall be maintained at not
less than 68 degrees Fahrenheit at a distance of 18 inches above floor level and
three feet from an outside wall in all habitable spaces, bathrooms, toilet rooms
and water closet compartments.
(c) Space and water heaters.
(1) Unvented flame space heaters and space heaters without back-draft diverters
and automatic controls are prohibited; portable electric heaters, approved
under the appropriate local or State electrical and/or fire prevention code are
acceptable (where they meet the provisions of subdivision (a) of this section).
Where there is no such local or State code, portable electric heaters meeting
the standards of the National Electrical Code, as approved by the Underwriter
Laboratories, Inc. and the Erie County Commissioner of Health are
acceptable. Gas-fueled space or water heaters and accessories or controls
shall be properly installed and be of an approved type.
Exception: Unvented flame space heaters shall be permitted if they
are installed and maintained properly, used as a secondary source
of heat, a carbon monoxide detector is installed in the same room
as the unvented flame space heater, and additional carbon

monoxide detector(s) is/are installed in close proximity to all
sleeping rooms. Maintenance of power source shall be the
property owner’s responsibility. Required carbon monoxide alarms
shall not be removed or disabled, except for replacement, service
or repair purposes.
(2) No fuel burning device shall be located in any water closet compartment,
toilet room, bathroom or sleeping room.
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO SAFE AND SANITARY PROPERTY
MAINTENANCE
1.22 Maintenance and installation requirements for rooming house, rooming unit,
bed and breakfast, dwelling and dwelling unit occupied or let for living
purposes. No person shall occupy as owner, occupant or let to another for
occupancy any rooming house, rooming unit, bed and breakfast, dwelling or dwelling
unit, for the purpose of living therein, which does not comply with the following
requirements:
(a) General. Every foundation, roof and exterior wall, door, skylight and window
shall be reasonably weather-tight, watertight, and damp-free and shall be kept in
sound condition and good repair. Floors, interior walls, doors and ceilings shall
be sound and in good repair. All exterior wood surfaces other than decay
resistant woods shall be protected from the elements and decay by paint or other
protective covering or treatment. Lead based and other toxic paints and
materials shall not be used on any surface. Walls shall be capable of affording

privacy for the occupants. Every premise shall be maintained in a clean, sanitary
and safe condition. The presence of noxious weeds shall be prohibited.
(b) Windows, doors and hatchways. Every window, exterior door and basement
hatchway or similar devices, shall be kept rodent-proof and reasonably watertight
and weather-tight, and shall be kept in sound working condition and good repair.
All exterior doors shall have properly functioning locking devices that shall be
operable from the interior side of the door. All deadbolt type locking mechanisms
shall be of the thumb latch style or equivalent on the inside of the exterior
door(s), a key operated style on both sides is not acceptable.
(c) Prevent entrance of rodents. Every window located at or near ground level
used or intended to be used for ventilation, and every other opening located at or
near ground level which might provide an entry for rodents, shall be supplied with
adequate gauge screen or such other devices as will effectively prevent their
entrance.
(d) Safety.
(i) Stairways, decks, porches and balconies. Every stairway, deck, porch and
balcony, and all appurtenances attached there to, shall be maintained
structurally sound, in good repair, with proper anchorage and capable of
supporting the imposed loads
(1) Handrails required. Handrails shall be provided on at least one side of
each stairway with three or more risers at an approved height.
(2) Guards required. Porches, balconies or raised floor surfaces located
more than 30 inches above the floor or grade below shall have guards not

less than 36 inches in height. Open sides of stairs with a total rise of more
than 30 inches above the floor or grade below or more than four risers
shall have guards.
(e) Plumbing fixtures and water and waste pipes. Every plumbing fixture and
water and waste pipe shall be properly installed and maintained in good sanitary
working condition.
(f) Floors for toilet rooms, water closet compartments, bathrooms and
kitchens. Every toilet room, water closet compartment, bathroom and kitchen
floor surface and baseboard shall be constructed and maintained so as to be
reasonably impervious to water so as to permit such floor to be easily kept in a
clean and sanitary condition.
(g) Construction, installation and maintenance. Every plumbing fixture, pipe,
chimney, flue and smoke pipe and every other facility, piece of equipment, or
utility which is present in a rooming house, rooming unit, bed and breakfast,
dwelling or dwelling unit, or which is required under this Article, shall be
constructed and installed in conformance with the applicable local, State or
national codes and shall be maintained in satisfactory working condition.
(g) Egress. A safe, continuous and unobstructed path of travel shall be provided
from any point in a building or structure to the public way.
(h) Lead in Housing.
(1) Presumption

For all dwelling units constructed prior to January 1, 1979, it is presumed
that the paint on any structures, equipment, exterior property, premises,
dwellings, dwelling units, or parts thereof is lead based paint.
(2) Owner’s Opportunity to Rebut Presumption
The owner of any structures, equipment, exterior property, premises,
dwellings, dwelling units, or parts thereof constructed prior to January 1,
1979, may apply to the department to have such structures, equipment,
exterior property, premises, dwellings, dwelling units, or parts thereof
exempted from the presumption contained in section 1.22 (i) (1) when lead
based paint testing results demonstrate that no lead paint is present on any
structures, equipment, exterior property, premises, dwellings, dwelling units,
or parts thereof.
(3) Owner’s Duty to Correct
(i) The existence of conditions conducive to lead poisoning on any
structures, equipment, exterior property, premises, dwellings, dwelling
units, or parts thereof is hereby declared to constitute a Nuisance.
(ii) The owner of any structures, equipment, exterior property, premises,
dwellings, dwelling units, or parts thereof shall take action to prevent the
occurrence of conditions conducive to lead poisoning and shall
expeditiously correct an identified or presumed lead hazard using Lead
Safe Work Practices.
(a) A lead hazard remediation plan is required as approved by the
Commissioner of Health or his designee.

(b) The lead hazard control activities must be performed by an EPA
recognized certified firm or individual. Proof of this certification
must be provided to the Commissioner or his designee prior to the
commencement of any work and as part of the lead hazard
remediation plan.
(c) All identified or presumed lead hazards shall be corrected within 30
days of receiving the notice or as agreed upon with the
Commissioner or his designee.
(d) A clearance inspection with sampling shall be performed. The
clearance report shall be submitted to the Erie County Department
of Health within five business days of its completion.
(iii) If the lead hazard is caused in whole or in part by an underlying defect,
the owner of the dwelling unit shall correct the underlying defect to
prevent a further lead hazard.
(iv) The following is a list of prohibited paint removal methods:
(a) Open flame burning or torching.
(b) Machine sanding or grinding without a high-efficiency particulate
air (HEPA) local exhaust control.
(c) Abrasive blasting or sandblasting without HEPA local exhaust
control.
(d) Heat guns operating above 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit, or those
that operate high enough to char the paint.
(e) Dry sanding or dry scraping.
Note: Four exceptions to this prohibition are:
(1) dry scraping in conjunction with heat guns;

(2) dry scraping within 1.0 ft (0.20 m.) of electrical
outlets;
(3) treating deteriorated paint spots that total no more
than 2 ft. 2 (0.2 m 2 ) in any one interior room or
space; or
(4) treating deteriorated paint spots that total no more
than 20 ft. 2 (2.0 m 2 ) on exterior surfaces.
(f) Paint stripping in a poorly ventilated space using a volatile stripper
that is a hazardous substance in accordance with regulations of
the Consumer Product Safety Commission at 16 CFR 1500.3,
and/or a hazardous chemical in accordance with the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration at 29 CFR
1010.1200 or 1926.59, as applicable to the work.
(g) Power washing, unless approved by the Commissioner or his
designee.
1.23 Discontinuance of services, facilities, equipment or utilities. No owner,
operator or occupant shall cause or be responsible for causing any service, facility,
equipment or utility which is required under this Part to be removed from or shut off
from or discontinued for any occupied rooming house, rooming unit, bed and
breakfast, dwelling or dwelling unit let or occupied by him; except for such temporary
interruption as may be necessary while actual repairs or alterations are in process,
or during temporary emergencies when discontinuance of service is either not
reasonably avoidable or is approved by the Erie County Commissioner of Health.

MAXIMUM DENSITY, MINIMUM SPACE, USE AND LOCATION REQUIREMENTS
1.24 Specification of requirements. No person shall occupy or let to be occupied any
rooming house, rooming unit, bed and breakfast, dwelling or dwelling unit, for the
purpose of living therein, unless there is compliance with the applicable State and
Local Codes:
(a) Habitable space below grade. No space located partially or totally below
grade shall be used as a habitable room unless:
(1) The floor and those portions of the walls below grade are of water-proof
and damp-proof construction.
(2) The minimum window area is equal to at least 10% of the total floor area of
the habitable room, with at least 40% of the window space being openable
to allow for egress. and is located entirely above the grade of the ground
adjoining such window area, or, if windows are located wholly or partly
below grade, there be constructed a properly drained window well the
ground area of which is equal to or greater than the area of the masonry
opening for the window, the bottom of which is below the top of the
impervious masonry construction under this window, with the minimum,
horizontal distance at a right angle from any point of the window wall being
equal to or greater than the vertical depth of the window well, as
measured from the bottom of the masonry opening for the window well, as
measured from the bottom of the masonry opening for the window.
(b)
Access to bathrooms, toilet rooms, water closet compartments and
sleeping rooms. No dwelling or dwelling unit containing two or more sleeping

ooms shall have such room arrangements that access to a bathroom, toilet
room or water closet compartment intended for use by occupants of more than
one sleeping room can be had only by going through another sleeping room;
nor shall room arrangements be such that access to a sleeping room can be
had only by going through another sleeping room or a bathroom or water closet
compartment.
ROOMING HOUSES and BED AND BREAKFASTS
1.25 General. No person shall operate a rooming house, or shall occupy or let to another
for occupancy any rooming unit or sleeping room in any rooming house or bed and
breakfast, except in compliance with the provisions of this Article. No owner or other
person shall occupy or let to another person any vacant rooming unit or sleeping unit
unless it is clean, sanitary, and fit for human occupancy, and complies with all
applicable legal requirements.
1.26 Permit.
(a) Permit required.
(1) No person shall operate any rooming house or bed and breakfast or cause or
allow the same to be occupied without a permit to do so from the Erie County
Commissioner of Health.
(2) Application for a permit to operate a rooming house or bed and breakfast
shall be made to the Erie County Commissioner of Health, on a form
prescribed by the Erie County Commissioner of Health, by the person who

will operate the rooming house or bed and breakfast. Application for a permit
to operate a rooming house or bed and breakfast shall be made at least 30
days before the first day of proposed operation of such rooming house
subsequent to its construction or conversion or prior to the expiration of an
existing permit. An application shall be filed for a new permit, following the
revocation of a permit, 30 days before the proposed resumption of operation
of the rooming house or bed and breakfast. In the event of a change of
operator of a rooming house or bed and breakfast, the new operator shall
apply for a permit before the change is affected. An application for a permit
shall be filed before a change in the name of a rooming house or bed and
breakfast is made.
(3) The Erie County Commissioner of Health shall issue a permit for the
operation of a rooming house or bed and breakfast if he/she finds that the
rooming house or bed and breakfast will not be a potential source of danger
to the general public’s health and safety or to the health or safety of the
occupants of the rooming house or bed and breakfast, and if he/she finds that
the rooming house’s or bed and breakfast’s proposed operation thereof
conforms or will conform to the requirements of this Article. The permit issued
for the operation of the rooming house or bed and breakfast shall expire upon
a change of the operator of the rooming house or bed and breakfast, upon the
date stipulated by the Erie County Commissioner of Health or upon the
revocation of the permit. Permits for a rooming house or bed and breakfast
shall be issued for a period of not more than two years from the date of issue.
(4) The permit shall not be transferable or assignable.

(5) The permit may be revoked by the Erie County Commissioner of Health if
he/she finds that the rooming house or bed and breakfast for which the permit
was issued is maintained, operated or occupied in violation of law or this
Article. A permit may also be revoked upon the request of the permittee or
upon abandonment of operation.
(6) The permit for operation of a rooming house or bed and breakfast shall be
posted in a conspicuous place on the premises.
(7) The Erie County Commissioner of Health may establish procedures for the
exchange of information with other State or local governmental agencies
having responsibility for making health and safety inspections of buildings,
including rooming houses and bed and breakfasts, and may utilize the
information provided by any such agency in making a determination regarding
the issuance of a permit required by this Article.
(b) Right to a hearing. Before a permit may be modified, suspended or revoked,
the permittee shall have the opportunity to be heard, except that a permit may be
temporarily suspended pending a hearing.
1.27 Requirements for toilet room, water closet, lavatory and bathtub or shower in
a rooming house and bed and breakfast.
(a) Rooming House. At least one flush water closet, lavatory basin and bathtub or
shower, properly connected to a water and sewerage system approved by the

Erie County Commissioner of Health and in good working condition, shall be
supplied for each eight persons or fraction thereof residing within a rooming
house, including members of the operator’s family wherever they share the use
of the said facilities, except that in a rooming house where rooms are let only to
males, flush urinals may be substituted for not more than one half of the required
number of water closets greater than one.
(1) Accessibility. All such facilities shall be located within the dwellings as to be
reasonably accessible from a common hall or passageway to all persons
sharing such facilities.
(2) Hot and cold water. Every lavatory basin and bathtub or shower shall be
supplied with heated and unheated water at all times.
(3) Facilities in basements. No such facilities shall be located in a basement,
except by written approval of the Erie County Commissioner of Health.
(b) Bed and breakfast. At least one flush water closet, lavatory basin and bathtub
or shower, properly connected to a water and sewerage system or individual
sewerage system approved by the Erie County Commissioner of Health and in
good working condition, shall be supplied for each eight transient lodgers
capable of accommodating the facility.
(1) Accessibility. All such facilities shall be located within the dwellings as to be
reasonably accessible from a common hall or passageway to all persons
sharing such facilities.

(2) Hot and cold water. Every lavatory basin and bathtub or shower shall be
supplied with heated and unheated water at all times.
(3) Facilities in basements. No such facilities shall be located in a basement,
except by written approval of the Erie County Commissioner of Health.
1.28 Cooking and dining.
(a) Cooking. Cooking shall be defined as the act of preparing food for eating by the
application of heat. Cooking in a rooming unit or sleeping room shall be
prohibited.
(b) No communal cooking and dining.
(1) Communal cooking and dining facilities in a rooming house shall be
prohibited, except as approved by the Erie County Commissioner of Health in
writing.
(2) Dining facilities in a bed and breakfast are allowed, communal cooking
shall be prohibited, all cooking must be performed by the operator of the
bed and breakfast or a licensed caterer in approved kitchen facilities.
Breakfast only may be served.
(i) If other meals are offered or provided, then New York State Sanitary
Code Part 14-1 will apply in full and a permit to operate a food service
establishment shall be required.

1.29 Locks for doors. Rooming unit and bed and breakfast doors shall have operating
locks to insure privacy. All locking devices shall be operable from the interior side of
the door. All deadbolt type locking mechanisms shall be of the thumb latch style or
equivalent on the inside of the door, a key operated style on both sides is not
acceptable.
1.30 Bed linen and towels. The operator of every rooming house and bed and
breakfast shall provide clean bed linen and towels therein at least once each week,
prior to the letting of any room to any occupant and upon change in occupancy of a
room. The operator shall be responsible for the maintenance of all supplied
bedding, bed linens and towels in a clean and sanitary manner.
1.31 Floor space for sleeping rooms. Every room occupied for sleeping purposes by
one person shall contain at least 70 square feet of floor space, and every room
occupied for sleeping purposes by more than one person shall contain at least 50
square feet of floor space for each occupant thereof.
1.32 Egress.
(a) Every rooming unit shall have two or more safe, unobstructed means of egress
leading to safe and open space at ground level, as required by law. A sprinkler
system satisfactory to the Erie County Commissioner of Health may be
substituted in lieu of one means of egress.
(b) Every bed and breakfast dwelling unit shall have a means of egress in
accordance with the Fire Code of New York State.

ARTICLE X
MEDICAL SERVICES
Section 1: Abortions
(a)
Abortions on patients with a gestation up to and including twelve weeks as determined
by a qualified physician may be performed on an ambulatory basis if the patient’s
medical condition permits.
(b)
The following patients shall be treated on an inpatient basis for the abortion:
(1) Patients pregnant more than twelve weeks as determined by a qualified
physician.
(2) Patients having such medical, surgical, gynecological or psychiatric
conditions or complications as specified in the rules of the chief of staff of
the abortion service and filed with the New York State Department of
Health and the Erie County Regional Office thereof.

ARTICLE XIV
CODE FOR ERIE COUNTY AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
(Transferred to County Department of Environmental Quality Codes)

ARTICLE XV
VALIDITY
Section 1:
Unconstitutionality Clause.
In the event any section, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase of this
Sanitary Code shall be declared unconstitutional or invalid for any reason, the
remainder of said code shall not be affected thereby.

ARTICLE XVI
EFFECTIVE DATE
Section 1:
When to Take Effect.
Every regulation of the Sanitary Code, unless otherwise specifically stated, shall
take effect on the 15 th day of June, 1948.

ARTICLE XVII
COIN-OPERATED DRY CLEANING MACHINE INSTALLATIONS
(Adopted on December 4, 1962, Effective January 1, 1963)
Section 1:
Prior Approvals
(a)
Plan Filing
No persons, firms, partnership or corporation shall install or operate a coinoperated
dry cleaning machine or machines, or make changes in any existing
installations if such changes may affect health until plans and specifications in
triplicate therefore shall first have been submitted to and received the approval of
the Commissioner of Health.
(b)
Instructions for Preparing Installation Plans
Plans shall show:
(1) An outline of that portion of the building in which the coin- operated
dry cleaning machines are to be installed.
(2) Location of the dry cleaning machines.
(3) Manufacturer and model number.
(4) Layout in plan and elevation view of exhaust duct work. This should be
drawn to scale and should show the ducts by double lines, supports, and
the point of discharge out-of-doors.
(5) Location and specifications of all general ventilating equipment including
window or roof exhaust fans, supply fans, and local exhaust fans. Fan
specifications must include manufacturer, type, design, size, capacity,
static pressure, speed and motor horsepower. Means by which make-up
air enters the building must also be shown.

The Erie County Sanitary Code is hereby amended by adding a new Article XXII thereto
to read as follows:
ARTICLE XXII-REGULATIONS OF TATTOO ARTISTS AND ESTABLISHMENTS
The following Article includes the amendments of 2005
Purpose:
The act of tattooing is an invasive procedure which punctures the skin and injects
a dye into the tissue just below the skin. The skin is the body’s primary barrier to
infectious agents and any procedure which compromises the integrity of this barrier
increases the possibility of infection. In this age, with some diseases causing serious
health problems, it is imperative to regulate both the person applying the tattoo and the
facility and equipment used in this procedure. The art of tattooing has been in practice
since early human history and it appears that if properly applied, this practice has
minimal medical significance. Therefore, the purpose of this Article is to ensure that the
conditions in the tattoo facility provide a safe and sanitary environment and that the
person applying the tattoo has a basic knowledge of aseptic techniques.
Section 1:
Definitions
For the purpose of this Article, the following words and phrases when used
herein shall be construed as follows:
(a)
Tattoo – The word “tattoo” shall mean to mark or color the skin by pricking in
coloring matter so as to form indelible marks or figures or by the production of
scars.

(b)
Tattoo Establishment – The words “tattoo establishment” shall mean any
room or space where tattooing is practiced or where the business of tattooing is
conducted or any part thereof.
(c)
Tattoo Operator – The words “tattoo operator” shall mean any person who
controls, operates, conducts or manages any tattoo establishment, whether
actually performing the work of tattooing or not.
(d)
Tattoo Artist – The words “tattoo artist” shall mean any person who actually
performs the work of tattooing.
(e)
Permanent makeup - The words “permanent makeup” shall mean to mark or
color the skin by pricking in coloring matter so as to form indelible marks. For the
purpose of this Article, whenever the word tattoo is used, it shall also apply to
permanent makeup.
(f)
Permanent Makeup Establishment – The words “permanent makeup
establishment” shall mean any room or space where permanent makeup is
applied or any part thereof. For the purpose of this Article, whenever the words
tattoo establishment are used, it shall also apply to permanent makeup
establishment.
(g)
Permanent Makeup Operator – The words “permanent makeup operator”
shall mean any person who controls, operates, conducts or manages any
establishment where permanent makeup is applied, whether actually applying
the permanent makeup or not. For the purpose of this Article, whenever the
words tattoo operator are used, it shall also apply to permanent makeup
operator.

(h)
Permanent Makeup Cosmetologist – The words “permanent makeup
cosmetologist” shall mean any person who actually performs the work of
applying permanent makeup. For the purpose of this Article, whenever the
words tattoo artist are used, it shall also apply to permanent makeup
cosmetologist.
(i)
Health Officer – The words “health officer” shall mean the Commissioner
of the Erie County Health Department or a duly authorized representative.
(j)
Minor – the word “minor” shall mean any male under the age of eighteen
(18) years and any female under the age of eighteen (18) years.
(k)
Health Hazard – The words “health hazard” shall mean a violation,
combination of violations, condition or a combination of conditions identified by
the health officer that can injure the person receiving a tattoo or the general
public.
Section 2:
Artist Certification
(a)
No person except a duly licensed physician shall engage in the practice of
tattooing or act as a tattoo artist unless he or she has a certificate issued by the
health officer.
(b)
No operator of any tattoo establishment shall allow a tattoo artist to perform in
the facility unless the tattoo artist is the holder of a valid certificate issued under
this Article.
(c)
Any person desiring to engage in tattooing or act as a tattoo artist shall submit an
application for certification to the health officer in the form prescribed by the

health officer, which will include a statement that the applicant has received a
copy of this Article and has a working knowledge of its content.
(d)
The certificate holder shall be required to show evidence of knowledge of the
provisions of this Article including an adequate knowledge of bacteriology and
aseptic technique to assure that infection and contagious disease shall not be
spread by tattooing practices. The health officer may require a written and/or
verbal test to assure that the applicant meets minimum standards as determined
by the health officer.
(e)
Certificates will expire on December 31 of each year. The Certification shall be
renewed annually.
(f)
An annual fee as per the Erie County Fee Schedule shall be assessed on the
recipient of a Certification. The certificate owner must be an employee of a
certified tattoo facility prior to the issuance of a tattoo artist certificate. The
certificate will indicate the certified facility to which the artist is assigned. The
certified artist may apply tattoos only at the certified tattoo facility providing the
artist has a certificate that indicates the artist is assigned to that facility. Should
the artist wish to work in another certified tattoo facility, the artist must submit a
new application to the health officer indicating his or her intentions to work in a
different certified tattoo facility. The application must be received by the health
officer at least twenty one (21) days prior to the move. The tattoo artist shall be
assessed an administrative fee as per the Erie County Fee Schedule for every
change. The tattoo artist may not apply tattoos at the new location until he or she
has received a new certificate indicating the change in assignment. The tattoo

artist may work in more than one certified facility as long as the artist has a valid
certificate for each facility.
(g)
The registration certificate of the artist must be prominently posted in the
public area of the facility where the artist is working.
Section 3:
Tattoo Establishment Registration
(a)
No person shall operate a tattoo establishment unless such person has
registered such shop with the health officer and has received a registration
certificate from the health officer.
(b)
No registration certificate shall be issued or renewed unless the shop has
been inspected and found to be in compliance with the provisions of these Rules
and Regulations.
(c)
The registration certificate must be prominently posted in the public area of the
facility.
(d)
The registration certificate shall expire on December 31 of each year. The
certificate shall be renewed annually.
(e)
An annual fee as per the Erie County Fee Schedule shall be assessed on the
operator of the establishment.
(f)
Plans for new tattoo facilities or existing tattoo facilities that are to be extensively
remodeled shall be submitted to the health officer. No constructions or
remodeling shall take place until the health officer approves the plans.
(g)
Such plans and specifications shall include, at a minimum, the work room and
areas, sinks, counters, storage areas, toilet facilities, sterilizing equipment area
and the waiting room.

(h)
An application on a form approved by the health officer and a plan review fee as
per the Erie County Fee Schedule shall be submitted along with the plans.
Section 4:
General Physical Environment
(a)
The tattoo establishment must have adequate light and ventilation and all
walls and ceilings shall be kept cleaned. Walls and ceilings are to be painted a
light color.
(b)
The floor of the tattoo establishment shall be of impervious material. The floor
shall be swept and wet mopped daily. Floors, walls or ceilings shall not be swept
or cleaned while tattooing is in operation.
(c)
There shall be sufficient toilet, urinal, and hand washing facilities accessible to
customers.
(d)
There shall be provisions for the proper and safe disposal of all types of
waste products. Any material contaminated with blood must be stored in a
puncture and leak proof container and disposed of in accordance with
Federal, State and Local Laws and acceptable to the health officer.
(e)
The building and equipment shall be maintained in a state of good repair at all
times. All parts of the establishment and its premises shall be kept clean, neat
and free of litter, rubbish and materials not necessary to the operation of the
facility.
(f)
Each tattoo establishment shall have a work room that may contain one or
more tattoo stations where tattoos are applied. The work room must be
separate and apart from the waiting room. Said work room shall be
constructed so as to prevent contamination of the work room by activities

or people in the waiting area. The construction could include a wall or
partition or other construction acceptable to the health officer. This room shall not
be used as a corridor for access to other rooms. Patrons or customers shall be
tattooed only at a tattoo station in said work room.
(g)
Each tattoo station shall have a hand wash facility equipped with hot and cold
running water, together with such sinks and basins as may be necessary.
(h)
Each hand washing facility is to be provided with hand cleaning soap or
detergent. Individual single service towels, warm air blowers or clean
individual sections of continuous cloth are to be provided. Common towels are
prohibited. Conveniently located waste receptacles are to be provided.
(i)
Hand washing facilities, hand washing devices and related equipment are to be
kept clean and in good repair.
(j)
Adequate cabinets for the storage of instruments, dyes, pigments, carbon and
stencils shall be provided for each artist and shall be maintained in a
sanitary manner.
(k)
An adequate number of work tables shall be provided for each tattoo artist. The
surface of all work tables shall be constructed of a material which is smooth, light
colored, non-absorbent, corrosive-resistant, and easily cleaned and sanitized.
(l)
Live animals, with the exception of fish in aquariums and guide dogs
accompanying blind persons, are prohibited from all areas of the tattoo facility.
Section 5:
Records and Reporting Requirements.
(a)
There shall be proper records maintained by the operator of a tattoo
establishment for each person receiving a tattoo.

(b)
A record of each patron shall be prepared prior to any procedure being
performed and shall include the date on which the tattoo was applied, the
name and signature, address and age of the patron, the design of the tattoo and
its location on the body and the name of the tattoo artist who applied the tattoo.
(c)
The records shall be entered in ink or indelible pencil in a book kept solely for this
purpose. This book shall be available at a reasonable time for examination by
the health officer and records for each patron shall be preserved for at least three
(3) years from the date of the tattoo. The signature of the patron shall be in the
book.
(d)
The tattoo facility operator is required to keep a record of any complaint or
unexpected complication associated with a tattoo applied in the operator’s
tattoo facility. Information concerning the complaint is to be kept as part of the
required record for each person who received a tattoo.
(e)
Any tattoo facility operator having actual or constructive knowledge of the
occurrence of a complication of a tattoo that resulted in the treatment by a
physician or medical facility must be reported to the health officer within 24
hours. The report can be made in person or by telephone.
Section 6:
Consent
(a)
(b)
It is unlawful to apply a tattoo to a minor.
It shall be the responsibility of the person applying the tattoo to assure that
the person receiving the tattoo is not a minor.
(c)
Identification must be submitted for each person receiving a tattoo. Acceptable
identification shall include any current and valid government issued identification

card that contains a picture and a date of birth of the person requesting a tattoo.
Other forms of identification may be acceptable if specifically approved by the
health officer.
(d)
A photocopy of the identification presented must be kept as part of the required
record kept for each patron that is being tattooed.
(e)
It shall be unlawful for any tattoo artist to perform any tattooing on an individual
who appears to be under the influence of drugs or intoxicating liquor.
Section 7:
Procedures to be Followed in Tattooing.
(a)
There shall be printed or mimeographed instructions approved by the health
officer given to each patron or customer on the risks involved in the tattoo
requested and possible complications. It must also include the care of the skin
after tattooing as a precaution to prevent infection.
(b)
A copy of these instructions shall also be posted in a conspicuous place in the
tattoo shop, clearly visible to the person being tattooed.
(c)
(d)
Each tattoo artist must wear a clean outer garment.
No person with any disease in a communicable form or suspected of having such
a disease shall engage in tattooing. Such diseases may include but shall not be
limited to the acute illness phases of the common cold, influenza, tuberculosis,
scabies, impetigo, syphilis, chicken pox, mumps, hepatitis, infection on hands or
arms, sore throat or jaundice of the skin.
(e)
The health officer may require a certificate signed by a duly licensed
physician stating that the person is free from communicable diseases before
permission to resume tattooing is granted.

(f)
Before working on each patron, a tattoo artist shall clean his or her
fingernails with an individual nail file and shall thoroughly wash and scrub his or
her hands with warm running water, an approved soap, and an individual hand
brush.
(g)
The artist shall not allow his or her hands to dry without the use of towel or other
mechanical means.
(h)
That portion of the patron’s skin to be tattooed shall be prepared by washing with
warm water and an approved soap.
(i)
When it is necessary to shave the area to be tattooed, a new disposable razor
shall be used. Once used on a patron, the razor must be disposed of. That
portion of the patron’s skin to be tattooed shall be washed again with warm water
and an approved soap after the area was shaved.
(j)
Following the cleaning and/or shaving of the patron’s skin, the tattoo artist shall
again wash and scrub his or her hands as described in item (f) above.
(k)
The tattoo artist shall wear single service, disposable gloves when applying a
tattoo. The gloves must be properly disposed of once they are used for a patron.
(l)
Before placing the design on the patron’s skin, the tattoo artist shall treat the skin
area with an approved germicidal solution which shall be applied with sterile
cotton or sterile gauze. When petroleum jelly (petrolatum) is used, it must be
listed in the United States Pharmacopeia or National Formulary, and shall be
applied to the area to be tattooed and it shall be in a collapsible metal or plastic
tube. The application may be spread by the use of sterile gauze but not directly
with the fingers.

(m)
The stencil used by a tattoo artist for transferring the design to the skin shall be
thoroughly cleaned and rinsed in an EPA-approved or hospital-grade germicidal
solution for at least twenty (20) minutes and then it shall be dried with sterile
gauze or in the air before use.
(n)
A media, such as deodorant or similar product, used to transfer a design from a
stencil, paper or any other material, must be properly prepared prior to applying
on the customer receiving a tattoo. This preparation could include rubbing the
surface of the media with a clean cloth that has been soaked in a sanitizing
solution, scraping off the surface of the media with a sanitized cutting instrument
or any other method approved by the health officer.
Section 8:
Dyes or Pigments
(a)
In preparing dyes or pigments to be used by a tattoo artist, only nontoxic and
sterile material shall be used. Single-service or individual portions of dyes or
pigments in clean, sterilized, individual containers or single-service containers
must be used for each person.
(b)
After tattooing, the remaining unused dye or pigment in the single-service or
individual containers must be discarded.
(c)
All dyes or pigments used in tattooing shall be made for tattooing purposes only
or from batches certified under the provisions of Parts 70 and 71, Food, Drug,
Cosmetics Act. (21 USC 301 et seq). Tattooing with any other product is a
violation of this Code.
Section 9:
Sterilization

(a)
A set of individual, single-service, sterilized needles and sterilized tubes
and bars shall be used by a tattoo artist for each new patron.
(b)
Tubes and bars may be reused only if they are manufactured to be reused, free
of any imperfections, have been properly cleaned in a germicidal solution, and
sterilized as required in this Code.
(c)
A sufficient number of sterilized needles, tubes and bars must be on hand to
meet the needs for the entire day or night operation.
(d)
Sterilization at a permitted facility shall be accomplished by holding in an
approved autoclave for twenty (20) minutes, at fifteen (15) pounds pressure, at a
temperature of two hundred fifty (250) degrees F (121 degrees C.). Acceptable
gauges, thermometers, or indicators shall be used to show that the proper
temperature and pressure has been reached in the autoclave.
(e)
No rusty or faulty needles shall be used for tattooing. All needles and
instruments after sterilization shall be handled and stored in a cabinet in such a
manner as to prevent being contaminated.
(f)
The complete needle, needle bar and tube of the tattoo machine shall be
cleaned, properly packaged and sterilized in an autoclave before each use. The
package containing the sterilized equipment must have the date of sterilization.
The person who operated the autoclave must initial each package. Instruments
not used within fourteen (14) days of sterilization must be repackaged and
sterilized prior to use.
(g)
The autoclave shall be operated, cleaned, and maintained according to

manufacturer’s instructions. A copy of the manufacturer’s recommended
procedures for the operation of the autoclave must be available for
inspection by the health officer.
(h)
The operator of each tattoo facility shall demonstrate, prior to use, that each
autoclave used in the facility is capable of proper sterilization. Testing shall be
performed in each calendar quarter during which the establishment operates.
Biological indicators such as spore strips or spore solutions shall be used and
verified through an independent laboratory. The name and serial number of the
autoclave must appear on the results of each test. The testing laboratory’s
written guidelines for the proper handling and placement of the biological
indicator shall be readily available for inspection by the health officer. Results of
the spore test records shall be retained for a period of three (3) years for every
autoclave tested and shall be available to the health officer upon request.
(i)
Autoclaves that failed testing shall immediately be taken out of service. Any
unused equipment that went through a sterilization process in an autoclave that
failed testing must be repackaged and sterilized in an approved autoclave.
(j)
Pre-sterilized, single service equipment will be accepted if there is assurances
from the supplier that the equipment has been sterilized following generally
accepted and verifiable methods acceptable to the health officer. Any reuse of
items intended to be single service is prohibited.
Section 10: After Care of Tattoo
(a)
The completed tattoo shall be washed with a piece of sterile gauze or sterile
cotton saturated with an approved germicidal solution. It shall be allowed to dry.

(b)
After drying, an anti-bacterial ointment shall be applied from a collapsible
metal or plastic tube. The entire area may be covered with a piece of sterile
dressing, which may, in turn, be covered with a piece of tissue and fastened to
the site with an approved type of adhesive.
Section 11: Severability
If any provision of these Rules and Regulations or the application thereof to any
person or circumstances is held invalid, such invalidity shall not affect other
provisions or applications of these Rules and Regulations which can be given
effect without the invalid provision or application and to this end the provisions of
these Regulations are declared to be severable.
Section 12:
Certificates and Inspections
(a)
Access – The permit issuing official or his designated representative is to be
permitted access for purposes of inspection at all times while the tattoo
establishment is in operation whether open to the public or not. Refusal of
admittance, after proper identification, is cause for action to obtain certification
revocation and an order to close.
(b)
Certificates are non-transferable from one owner or operator to another, or from
one establishment location to another, or from one tattoo artist to another. The
tattoo artist must be able to produce a valid certificate when engaging in the act
of tattooing.
(c)
Inspection – The permit issuing official or his designated representative is to
make inspections of each tattoo establishment within Erie County from time to

time and not less than once during the term of each certificate. During each
inspection, violations of this Article are to be recorded on an inspection report
form acceptable to the health officer. A copy of the inspection report is to be
delivered to the person in charge at the completion of the inspection.
(d)
The person in charge is the individual present in a tattoo establishment who is
the apparent supervisor of the establishment at the time. If no individual is the
apparent supervisor, then any employee present is the person in charge.
Section 13: Enforcement
(a)
Operation of a tattoo establishment without a valid certificate is a violation of this
Article. The health officer or his designated representative may order any tattoo
establishment or operation in his jurisdiction operating without a valid certificate
to close and cease all tattoo operations immediately and to remain closed until
the establishment or operation has obtained and displays a valid certificate.
(b)
For serious, repeated or persistent violations of any of the requirements of this
Article or for interference with the health officer or his designated representative
in the performance of his duties, the certificate may be revoked after notice and
an opportunity for a hearing has been provided by the health officer.
(c)
The health officer may suspend a certificate and order the immediate cessation of
tattoo operations within his jurisdiction when, in the opinion of the health officer,
continued operation is an imminent health hazard to public health. Any person
so ordered is to comply immediately and within 15 days is to be provided with an
opportunity to be heard and to present proof that continued operation does not
constitute a danger to the public health.

(d)
A person applying a tattoo without a valid certificate issued by the health
officer is in violation of this Article. The tattoo establishment operator who allows
a person to apply a tattoo without a valid certificate will be subject to enforcement
as described in subsection (a) of this section.
(e)
Suspension of certificates – Certificates may be suspended temporarily by the
health officer, after notice and an opportunity to be heard, for failure of the
certificate holder to comply with the requirements of this Article, or with any lawful
notice or order issued by the health officer or his designated representative.
(f)
Closure – When action is taken to order closure and cessation of operations, the
health officer or his designated representative is to:
(1) Conspicuously post a notice or placard at each entrance of the
establishment stating the existence of such order and the authority for such
order. This order is not to be concealed, mutilated or altered by any person
or removed without permission of the health officer.
(2) Publish notice of the order with the reasons for the order in one or more
newspapers in the County or City in which the tattoo establishment is
located.
(g)
Hearings – The hearings provided for in this section are to be conducted by the
health officer or his designated hearing officer and shall be conducted following
the procedures used to adjudicate other violations of the Erie County Sanitary
Code, New York State Sanitary Code and the New York State Public Health Law.
(h)
Should a tattoo facility that is ordered closed contain more than just the tattoo
facility, the operator may either close the entire facility or remove all materials

and equipment used for tattooing from the premises while the close order or
suspension of the certificate is in effect.
Section 14: Penalty for Violation
Every person, firm, organization or corporation violating any of the provisions of
this Article, or any of the orders, rules and regulations made and promulgated in
pursuance hereof, after conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not
more than Five Hundred ($500.00) Dollars for each violation.
The changes to this Article of the Erie County Sanitary Code including the amendments
of 2005 become effective July 1, 2006.